Quick Teachable Tips 

for Healthcare Providers

Below are suggestions for topics to discuss at well-child visits or hospital discharge based on the child’s age. Links to web pages with more information on the topic are in pink. With a 95% misuse rate for car seats, encourage parents to find someone trained in their area to get the installation checked (note that most police and fire are NOT trained):

• http://cert.safekids.org/get-car-seat-checked
• http://www.safercar.gov/cpsApp/cps/index.htm

The most common mistakes are that the car seat is too loose in the car, and the child is too loose in the straps. The video below shows how to make sure the child is buckled snug!

Rear-Facing

• Snug Car Seat Straps (all visits)
• Proper Recline & Safe Head Position (Birth – 6M visits)
• Safe Car Seat Use OUT Of The Car (Birth – 15M visits)
• Transition From Infant Seat To Convertible Seat (6-18M visits)
• Rear-facing Until At Least 24 Months (9-24M visits)

Forward-Facing

• Encourage Rear-Facing (don’t assume kid is forward) (2-4Y visits)
• Tether EVERY Forward-Facing Car Seat (2-7Y visits)
• Snug Car Seat Straps (2-7Y visits)
• Readiness to Transition to a Booster (3-7Y visits)
• Back Seat vs Front Seat (3-7Y visits)

Booster Seats

• Readiness to Transition to Booster (3-7Y visits)
• How Boosters Work (4-12Y visits)
• Don’t Put Shoulder Belt Under Arm or Behind Back (4-12Y visits)
• Readiness to Stop Using Booster (5-12Y visits)
• Back Seat vs Front Seat (4-12Y visits)

Pre-Driving Teens & New Drivers

• Parents Modeling Safe Driving Behavior (all visits)
• Peer Passengers Are Risky (12Y+ visits)
• “Ride Like a Friend” (12Y+ visits)
• Distracted Driving (16Y+ visits)
  • Put phone into “Do Not Disturb” mode
  • Use Location Sharing to allow family to know driver’s location without needing to text/call the driver
• Buzzed & Drugged Driving (16Y+ visits)

Safer Cars

• Electronic Stabilization Control (ESC) – standard since 2012 on all US vehicles
• Front Crash Avoidance Technology (Auto-brake)
• Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) 
• Side Air Bags – get as many as you can, even if you have kids in back
• Avoid vehicles under 3,000 pounds
• Good crash test ratings from safercar.gov and iihs.org/ratings